MOBILE, Ala. -- Former Michigan State offensive coordinator Dan Roushar made the jump to the NFL last year to work with the New Orleans Saints' running backs.

He worked side-by-side for nearly 12 months with Joe Lombardi, the Saints' former quarterback coach, and he knows exactly what the Detroit Lions are getting in their new offensive coordinator.

"(Detroit) hired a phenomenal football coach," Roushar told MLive.com during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. "His intelligence is outstanding. I think his football IQ is as high as I've been around. I think it's a great hire for Jim Caldwell and the Lions. I think he'll take what appears to be a very talented outfit and add his touches to it.

"You're going to see what you saw in New Orleans. The Lions offense will be a very similar product. This is just a great hire."

That's quite the endorsement, considering New Orleans' offense has been among the most prolific the past few years and that Drew Brees has matured into one of the game's greatest quarterbacks.

And there was more praise -- much, much more of it -- at Tuesday's Senior Bowl practice as the league reacted to the news that Detroit had hired Lombardi as its offensive coordinator.

Saints coaches called him a great thinker with an extraordinary IQ for offensive football. Some of that stems from his uncanny ability to recall information -- play sequences, matchups, opponent histories and so on.

"There are certain people who have an intellect that allows them to take a lot of information, digest it and spit it out in a very simple form," Roushar said. "I think he has that capability.

"It's his ability to see something and very quickly, go back to previous experiences and situational things that have occurred, reference those situations in game-planning, and then adapt in a way that exploits the defense. He's just phenomenal."

Lombardi is so highly regarded by the Saints, few seemed surprised by the promotion. He had interviewed for several jobs already, including the Jets' offensive coordinator position last year. Now his time has come.

He left Mobile on Monday night to return to New Orleans, where he has six kids and a wife, Molly, who hails from Bay City, Mich. He will reconvene with the Lions next week in Allen Park.

"He's just the best, and I can't speak highly enough of him," offensive assistant Frank Smith said. "I knew this (promotion) was coming for several years. This was just his opportunity."

Smith said he's learned "countless things" about preparation from working with Lombardi, who is known for his meticulous development and implementation of game plans with Brees.

"He relates really well to players, just because he's meticulous and is understanding of what defenses do (because of) his preparation, his planning," Smith said. "He's good at working with what players can do. He won't ask them to do just anything they can't do. He'll study what the offense can do, and do that."

Lombardi has a famous last name, and indeed is the grandson of Vince Lombardi, a coaching legend for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named. But he's set off to make his own name, and done just that.

The former Air Force tight end began his coaching career in 1996 as a defensive line coach for Dayton, and then climbed the coaching ladder by taking mostly offensive jobs at VMI, Bucknell and Mercyhurst (with a one-year jaunt in the XFL in 2001).

Lombardi first cracked the NFL in 2006 as a defensive quality control guy for the Falcons. He moved on to the Saints as an offensive assistant in 2007, and then was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2009.

"He's a smart man and a good young coach," said Saints defensive line coach Bill Johnson, who worked with Lombardi at both stops. "He's a great thinker. He has a good personality and -- what's the word I'm looking for? -- a lot of common sense."

Brees, long one of the NFL's most talented quarterbacks, immediately became more efficient after Lombardi's promotion. He completed 70.6 percent of his passes, tossed 34 touchdown passes and posted a 109.6 QB rating in 2009, each of which were career highs.

He was named the NFC's most valuable player, and guided the Saints to a Super Bowl victory over -- who else? -- Jim Caldwell's Indianapolis Colts.

Brees passed Dan Marino in 2011 for the most passing yards in a single season (which Peyton Manning broke this season), and this year became the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.

Detroit hopes Lombardi can have a similar impact on Matthew Stafford, a talented passer who has struggled with consistency, mechanics and a penchant for risky decisions.

"Drew's so darn efficient and effective anyway," Roushar said. "But I think he always brought a wealth of thought to him. Drew is working harder at little things because of Joe."

Lombardi replaces Scott Linehan, who was fired last month after five years in Detroit.

His offensive philosophy has been crafted after working under Saints coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, which means the Lions' offense is expected to take on a similar incarnation.

It remains unknown who will call the plays in Detroit, but expect the Lions to become more aggressive with a quarterback-driven scheme. They will employ the no-huddle offense to put defenses in poor matchups, and Stafford could audible more at the line of scrimmage.

This is Lombardi's first NFL offensive coordinator gig -- he also held that title at Mercyhurst from 2002-05 -- but the Saints staff has no doubt this will work out favorably for the Lions.

"He's ready to roll," Johnson said. "He's been with Sean Payton for (seven) years, he's worked with a Hall of Fame quarterback, and you just can't do that without learning things. Know what I mean?"